CLARKSVILLE - With the deadline to submit its facilities master plan approaching, the Clarksville School Board met in a special session Thursday and more clearly defined its goals for a building program.

"We've been beating this around for about a year, and it's time for us to decide something," board member Danny Hughes said.

Freeman Wish, district treasurer, told the board the district's 10-year master plan for facilities must be submitted to the state by Feb. 1, 2006. The plan must include a fairly definite outline for the next three years, he said, and can be more general in describing the last seven years of the 10-year period.

Before the plan can be submitted to the state, however, the board must hold a public hearing on its three-year plan to discuss final prioritizations, Wish said. He also noted failure to submit the plan to the state by the Feb. 1 deadline will eliminate the district from qualifying for any state funding.

Superintendent Don Johnston said once the plan is submitted, the district can apply for a partnership with the state on its special projects. Depending on the district's Facilities Wealth Index, which changes each year, the state will pay a certain percentage of any projects if the district's application is accepted.

Board members agreed that, with the continuing growth in enrollment, expansion of current buildings and construction of a new building will be necessary in the near future.

The largest growth in enrollment is at the lower grade levels, Johnston said. Clarksville Primary School, which houses kindergarten and first grades, is currently at 460 students. The building capacity at the primary school is 493 students, and enrollment projections show 496 students in the two grades by the 2008-09 school year.

To meet state standards, Johnston said, the district will need to add one kindergarten class by the 2007-08 school year and one first-grade class by the 2010-11 school year.

Board member Bruce Phillips said he believes adding onto the primary school is a "definite" need. But he felt like the district could make the needed additions with the money it currently has in its building fund.

According to Johnston, there is currently $2.3 million in the building fund. The projected cost of the primary school project, according to a study done in May, is about $1.6 million.

"I think that's what we should do," Johnston said. "We can take care of Primary with what's in the bank."

But Johnston said in order to meet the continued growth in enrollment and to be in compliance with state standards, it will likely be necessary to construct a new building.

Phillips said the main determination the board should make when considering a new building is how to pay for its construction and how to convince the public tax dollars are needed for a new school.

Board president Danna Schneider agreed but said she wanted to be sure the public supported the district's plans.

"One thing we didn't address [during the public meeting held in April] is whether we need to build at all," she said. "Are we going to get public support for a millage? I think it's clear we will eventually bulge out of our current campuses, but can and will the public support a building program?"

The board discussed a list of things to consider about a building program and decided on some definite criteria that any future construction project must meet. The criteria included:

n The building plan will be educationally sound;

n Each school will have its own cafeteria and gym/activity room;

n The plan will allow space for future growth at each campus;

n The plan will allow for each school to have two or three grades apiece;

n The plan will allow for the classrooms at Kraus Middle School to be enlarged.

Board members also discussed the possibility of using the land east of the Primary School, currently owned by the district, for the site of the new building.

But board members remained undecided about which grades a new building would house.

"I think we're in agreement we need to build a new campus," Schneider said. "We just don't know what it's going to be yet."

Administrators chose three building options. The plans included options of construction of a new junior high to house eighth and ninth grades; construction of a new building for Pyron Elementary School to house second, third and fourth grades; and construction of a new Kraus Middle School that would continue to house fifth and sixth grades.

If a new junior high were built, Kraus Middle School would take over the current junior high building in addition to its current building; and would house fifth, sixth and seventh grades.

If a new elementary school were built, Kraus Middle School would take over the current elementary building and would take in seventh grade in its current building; or its current building would become part of the junior high campus and would house seventh grade.

If a new middle school were built, the junior high would use its current building as well as the current middle school building for seventh, eighth and ninth grades.

Board members agreed to further discuss the issue at their next regular meeting Thursday.